[ 02/03/2010 - 04:24 PM ]

KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)--

 Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided agricultural areas east of Khan Younis to the south of the Gaza Strip at an early hour on Tuesday, local sources said.

They told the PIC reporter that a number of IOF tanks escorted huge bulldozers that advanced 200 meters into the area east of Qarara and damaged Palestinian land and property.

Local sources in Beit Jala, Bethlehem district in the West Bank, said that IOF bulldozers cut off tens of olive trees and damaged cultivated land lots on Tuesday.

They added that the operation was linked to the building of the racist, separation wall that passes through Beit Jala and confiscates its most fertile land.

Meanwhile, IOF soldiers kidnapped 19 Palestinians in Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district, and occupied Jerusalem.

Locals said that the soldiers rounded up 6 Palestinians in Beit Ummar and Al-Khalil city including a child, adding that the child and another youth would stand trial for throwing stones at soldiers.

In occupied Jerusalem, a joint force of the occupation police, intelligence and special forces broke into several homes before rounding up 13 Palestinians and took them to Maskobeh interrogation center.

8 Palestinians kidnapped by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank

Published today (updated) 03/03/2010 12:10

Bethlehem - Ma'an -

Eight Palestinians were detained overnight in Tulkarem and Ramallah on Wednesday, Ma'an's correspondents revealed.

In the town of Ateel, north of Tulkarem city, three Palestinians were kidnapped by Israeli occupation forces, identified as Abdul Nasser Amin Al-Suwais, 44, Saher Muhammad Yassin, 35, and Aysar Dheeb Hamdan, 35, a member in the Palestinian intelligence.

Al-Suwais served 15 years in a number of Israeli prisons and released in 2009. He has been detained on more than ten occasions, Ma'an's correspondent said.

Al-Suwais' family said nearly 10 Israeli occupation forces vehicles surrounded the house and a number of intelligence officers came to the house carrying files, taking him to unknown destination.

An Israeli military spokesmen said those detained were "operatives involved in suspected terror activities."

In Ramallah, five detentions were made by Israeli forces during a night raid into Al-Nabi Saleh, a village wet of the city. Those detained were taken to an unknown location.

Village Council president, Bashir Al-Tamimi, said the forces raided the vilage at 2am and stormed a number of homes, conducting searches.

Al-Tamimi told Ma’an that the forces detained four brothers Mustafa, 27, Majd, 23, and the twins Oday and Luay Al-Tamimi, 15. The forces also detained Ta'min Al-Tamimi, 27, he said.

The Israeli military spokesman said the army was not familiar with the detentions in Ramallah.